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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24330787">Our Road is Long</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobetterlove/pseuds/nobetterlove'>nobetterlove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Secrets [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Closeted Character, Cute, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, M/M, POV Tony Stark, Parent Tony Stark, Teacher Peter Parker, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:07:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24330787</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobetterlove/pseuds/nobetterlove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper and Tony are divorced, but not before they have a gorgeous baby girl named Morgan. She is the center of Tony's world - even when it's melting down little by little. Having been in the closet most of his life, Tony is struggling to come to terms with the wants and needs that keep making themselves known - especially after he meets a particularly handsome kindergarten teacher, Peter Parker. </p><p>He's bad about picking Morgan up from school, but he's forced to when Pepper and her new husband go out of town. What ensues is the hilarity and vulnerability that comes with coming to terms with who you really are - Tony Stark style! </p><p>There's a lot of Tony/Morgan scenes - hang on tight for the cuteness!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Peter Parker/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Secrets [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1756552</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>176</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Our Road is Long</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey friends! </p><p>I found this prompt on Tumblr (no surprise there,) so I wrote this little baby to set up a verse that I'm going to continue to add to. I think snapshots of Tony, Morgan, and Peter together will be fun to turn to whenever I'm feeling something a little more on the cute and fluffy side. </p><p>Here's hoping you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The divorce was the easy part.</p><p> </p><p>After finding Pepper in bed with an admittedly handsome blonde with great pecs and one of the nicest asses Tony could remember seeing, separating felt like the only rational thing to do. Pepper played the part of his beard for long enough – and despite how it happened, he didn’t feel bad that their marriage was over. A part of him felt like it might be time to finally be himself – let the world know what the real Tony Stark liked, who he actually was. His father’s voice was still too loud, though – even after all these years, Howard’s “you will not tarnish our name with your unnatural behavior,” dictated his actions.</p><p> </p><p>The best part of his marriage to Pepper came from their daughter – a little girl who had Tony’s hair and eye color, but the beautiful round eye structure of her mother. She made Tony feel like a hero – like he could do no wrong in her opinion. No one else in his life gave him that much benefit of the doubt. It felt good to have someone looking up to him, even if that only happened on the weekends.</p><p> </p><p>Pepper was tactful in her requests from the divorce – something that Tony felt grateful for. She kept the CEO position of Stark Industries; which Tony was happy to keep in her name – he liked getting to tinker on his own projects too much to worry about the business side of things at this point of his life. It gutted him a little when Pepper demanded Morgan stay with her most of the time – that little girl was one of the only things he liked about his life.</p><p> </p><p>He conceded anyway, though – in the end, he figured having some stability from Pepper and Steve was better than what he could give her. He had trouble remembering to pick her up from daycare – a kid deserved more than that.</p><p> </p><p>When the whirlwind of it was over, Tony kept his tower and all of the cool things in it – he got freedom he hadn’t wanted, and a huge split between himself and his daughter. He didn’t love Pepper, that was never a part of the deal. Having someone by his side went deeper than that. The idea of loneliness sat in the pit of his stomach for a while – the emptiness of the place a little haunting after so much laughter, so much time spent watching Morgan grow up. All wasn’t lost, of course – he got to see her on the weekends and the occasional holiday.</p><p> </p><p>To make up for being away from her throughout the week, Tony made every time they were together a production. When she was younger, they went out to playgrounds and played until the girl practically fell asleep standing. He fed her whatever he decided a little kid should eat – their favorite being peanut butter and jellies with the crusts cut off.</p><p> </p><p>The older she got, the more Tony started to incorporate her into his work in the lab. No Stark would fall behind the learning curve. Luckily, she took to it the same way Tony did, like the naturals that they were. Tony felt some of his best memories in his entire life were the weekends with Morgan, the two of them fixing Dum-E, building new little toys, and playing around with all the gadgets Stark Industries developed over the years.</p><p> </p><p>For Morgan’s presence, Tony was grateful. He could never regret his time with Pepper because of her existence, so he kept things civil. They weren’t sharing Christmas dinners, or anything, but he got a hug from Pepper and a handshake from Steve every time he walked to the door to pick his daughter up. The idea of his little girl growing up away from him still shook him to the very core – he hated every second he knew he was missing; but they’d done a good job coming together to give her the stability she needed. It was much easier to be a family this way – no matter how bitter Tony wanted to be, he couldn’t deny it.</p><p> </p><p>As long as Morgan was happy, Tony knew he could get past his hang-ups and make the most of whatever came his way.</p><p> </p><p>Outside of his time with Morgan, Tony did not feel as optimistic. Things with Stark Industries were booming, he felt more than grateful for that fact. He couldn’t imagine an added stressor to the inner turmoil he dealt with on a daily basis. The mind he prided himself on couldn’t find a place to teether, the detachment of the routine he grew so accustomed to kicking him on his ass. Without Pepper, Tony didn’t have the buffer of someone telling him to go to bed or keeping most of the things in his life perfectly in order. He felt embarrassed to admit that it took him way too long to find where she put his belts in the closet after moving her own stuff out.</p><p> </p><p>Not having that buffer also meant unlimited opportunity to spend all of his time consumed in the lab – so he let himself do just that. Aside from the alarm on his phone Friday night and Sunday afternoon, Tony didn’t think much about time. There were 72-hour stints in the lab that were quickly followed by an entire 24 of them in bed, dead to the world. It wasn’t healthy, he knew that – but it filled the gap.</p><p> </p><p>There were so many things he needed to deal with in his personal life, lots of them topics Tony had been disregarding for most of his life. Having never learnt to deal with anything head on, Tony ignored it. Maybe that’s why he worked so hard – or maybe that’s why he decided to settle for something that wasn’t going to make either people a part of it happy. It felt easier to turn his head the other direction than actually face the fact that nothing would make him straight – not a single thing in this world.</p><p> </p><p>He’d been taught from an early age to feel nothing but shame about it, too. If nothing else, Tony consciously understood that they were now in a totally different time of the world – that some things would need to change, but overall, there wouldn’t be too much detriment done. His insecurities, however – they were much louder than the literal facts he knew and understood, but obviously could not process – at least, not fully. A part of him thought that the right person – the right man – might change his mind and make it all worth it. He just never allowed himself to be in a position where he could find that man.</p><p> </p><p>Between all of his time in the lab – there didn’t seem to be any change in his current position, either. No matter how solitary it felt when his little girl wasn’t around, Tony did nothing to change it. It felt like there’d been enough complicated in his life to really try and pursue anything else. That didn’t satisfy any of the thoughts in his head, or the yearnings within him – but it sure as hell kept him out of the news and focused on something that could be profitable.</p><p> </p><p>For the most part, Tony didn’t get called out for it, either. Without Pepper there to literally pull him out of his chair and back onto whatever path he needed to be on – well, it was a lot easier for people to not see Tony for days on end. It didn’t matter, as long as he picked up Morgan and spent every second of the time he could with her – that’s all he was worried about.</p><p> </p><p>Then, his little girl wasn’t so little anymore, he waited with Pepper and Steve as she turned around and waved at them one last time when they dropped her off for the first day of kindergarten.</p><p> </p><p>“On Friday’s, you should pick her up from school, Tony,” Pepper said to him once Morgan was behind the sealed doors of the school’s entrance. Swiping off his sunglasses, Tony squinted at her, a brow raising. It wasn’t often that Tony got offered to spend extra time with his kid – so he didn’t think about how hard it’d been getting to pull himself out of his lab and out of the haze of nothing but relevant formulas and equations running through his brain.</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds good, Pep. Thanks,” Tony finally replied, his eyes pointedly missing hers. He didn’t want to deal with whatever pitying look she might throw his way. Rubbing his chin, he let the silence linger for a second, then he turned around and started walking the other direction. “Always a pleasure,” he threw over his shoulder as a way of saying goodbye to the two of them. If he stuck around any longer, she’d be able to see the dark circles under his eyes and the collection of stubble on his upper cheeks he was usually so meticulous about taking care of.</p><p> </p><p>There were gadgets and gizmos calling his name back in the lab, anyway.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t realize how fucked he actually was until he missed picking up Morgan for the fourth week in a row. The first couple of times he dealt with Pepper, she radiated hatred towards him. The fact that he spent time with Morgan was so important to her – despite the situation they were in, Pepper knew how much Tony loved their daughter. His slumps hadn’t been that bad in a while, but he couldn’t seem to pull himself out of this one. The lack of anger towards him this last failed attempt simply meant she moved past madness and into disappointment. It still smarted a little, having Pepper ever feel that way about him.</p><p> </p><p>The next week, she didn’t give him a choice – her and Steve were going to Florida for the weekend and there was nothing he could do about it. Other than be on time to pick up their daughter, of course. Her rather blunt demands were clear; all Tony needed to do was get her at 3 from the carpool lane and the rest of the weekend was history. There were cartons of ice cream and a custom-made hot wheel car racing track waiting for them. He planned to let her use the entire living room, some of the modifications he made to the pieces would allow the cars to zoom around faster than the pure physics of the track would.</p><p> </p><p>He got so caught up on a couple of the cars and fitting the wheels to run on the track that he let the snooze on his alarm to pick up Morgan go off more than a few times. When the annoying blare of the alarm finally managed to get through, it was already time to be there. Tony looked around panicked, his hands still covered in oil, some of the pieces he’d been working on spread out before him. Biting down on his lip, Tony dropped what was in his hands and got himself cleaned up – the clock ticking down ten minutes while he mucked around.</p><p> </p><p>Disobeying the road signs got him to the school in less than eight minutes – his clock reading 3:21 when he threw the car into park and ran into the building. There were still plenty of people walking around, so he couldn’t be that late. Luckily, he didn’t have to get very far into the building, Tony recognized Morgan’s brown hair without the girl even having to turn around. The waves cascading down her back matched Tony’s when he let his own hair get a little longer. He felt himself smiling – his eyes moving from her over to the person squat down next to her, talking with kindly spoken words and wild hand gestures.</p><p> </p><p>His daughter’s giggle had him stepping forward – the thought of her not even realizing his slip up something he felt grateful for (guilty, yes – but grateful nonetheless.) Tony almost stopped dead in his tracks when he finally managed to catch sight of the person’s face. The man was alluring – the skin of his cheeks pale and covering sharp cheek bones. His eyes were like diving into a river full of chocolate, delectable and overwhelming – Tony almost felt like they were pulling him in. It took a second to register that he was smiling – those pale cheeks coloring, the slightest crinkle at the corner of his eye making the man’s whole look pretty close to irresistible.</p><p> </p><p>Morgan was too smart for her own good and followed the man’s eyes, her own lighting up when they met Tony’s for the first time in a week. “Daddy!” she exclaimed, her little feet carrying her over until she could throw her arms around him, her little nose pressing into his leg.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, sweet pea,” Tony replied, his hand running over her hair, then tugging at the little bow there, his tongue poking out in her direction. “Ready to go, stink face?” he asked her, his face in full blow smile mode now.</p><p> </p><p>She grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the man, who was now standing tall – they were the same height, though Tony’s hair stood a little taller. He almost out right chuckled at the thought – his vanity ludicrous. “This is Mr. Peter, daddy.” Morgan looked up at him, her eyes wide, the excitement of introducing her favorite people to each other so evident there. Fuck, he loved the hell out of her.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Mr. Peter,” Tony spoke softly, his hand sticking out on offer between them. Their gazes locked, the zing of it almost enough to drop his hand and send him to his knees. He kept himself upright, though – his teeth digging into the side of his cheek to keep his thoughts right there, in the here and now. “I’m Tony Stark.”</p><p> </p><p>The warm grip that encased his hand almost brought him to his knees again – he didn’t think he ever felt something so – magnetic. Tony let his fingers squeeze Peter’s lightly, both men holding onto the shake for a couple seconds too long. “Oh, Mr. Stark – I absolutely know who you are. It’s great to meet you in person. Morgan has been talking about you for weeks, nice to know I was thinking about the right guy,” They finally let go, and Peter’s hands moved to rest in the back pockets of his dark jeans.</p><p> </p><p>Tony looked down at his daughter, the man’s words hitting him in the gut. Okay, so maybe he needed to get his shit together – maybe it wasn’t all that okay that he hadn’t been there when she expected him. That was shit his own father did and more than anything, Tony wanted to be so much better than Howard could have ever dreamed. “I hope she told you all about Dum-E – we’ve been replacing his interface the past couple of weekends.” His voice was proud, the young girl’s intelligence something Tony took great stock in.</p><p> </p><p>Watching Peter light up with a laugh shouldn’t have been as nice as it was – it shouldn’t have sent a shock to his very core. Never before, he thought, his hand tightening ever so slightly on Morgan’s shoulder. Morgan broke in before the other man could speak, her face turning red from how hard she tried to keep the words inside.</p><p> </p><p>“I did, daddy. I think a lot of the kids don’t believe me when I talk about things with you – but I told Mr. Peter all about how you made him wear the dunce cap because he hosed you down for the hundredth time that day.” Morgan’s hands were going wild, her excitability coming from Tony – a trait he hoped she kept forever.</p><p> </p><p>Tony saw Peter nod his head, the smile on his face growing. “She did – in fact, she told me all about your long history of bad interactions with the robot.” He looked at Morgan with affection, the man obviously very good at his job – very in tune with the children he taught. “We’ve got show and tell coming up, maybe you can bring him?” Peter shot him a smirk, his eyes twinkling.</p><p> </p><p>Morgan didn’t waste any time jumping on board, either. “Oh, can we please, daddy? No one will have anything nearly as cool as that.” Her smile broadened and her eyes started to well a little – the patented puppy dog gaze doing its best to melt him.</p><p> </p><p>Who the hell was he to deny anyone that looked that cute anything they desired? Tony cupped her cheek and grinned, his head nodding. “We absolutely can, baby girl.” The squeal he got in return made up for the fact that getting the robot to the school would be an absolute pain in the ass. Regardless, Morgan’s interest in all of his tech and the building process needed to be nurtured – even if that meant hauling an ancient science fair project to a kindergarten class filled with young, impressionable children.</p><p> </p><p>His little girl thrusting her backpack at him brought him back from his thoughts, her big brown eyes looking up at him. “Can we go now, daddy? You promised we could play with the track and it’s going to be bedtime before I know it!” She looked at him seriously, her lips in the slightest pout. It wasn’t necessary, Tony was aware that Morgan knew that just as well as he did. Shouldering the bag, Tony nodded at her, a wink being sent her way.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it’s nice to have met you, Peter. Thanks for taking such good care of Morgan,” he ruffled her hair again, the girl’s hands coming up to try and stop him. His feet didn’t want to move, though – Tony’s eyes were once again locked with Peter’s and the few feet of distance between them felt like too much. A compulsion to close the distance rushed through him – each of his fingers physically aching to touch.</p><p> </p><p>The big grin spreading across the other man’s face didn’t help, either. “It was nice to meet you too, Tony.” He gripped his bottom lip between his teeth for a few seconds, Tony’s instinct to touch growing steadily by the second.</p><p> </p><p>It took every ounce of self-control to keep his entire body from launching across the space between them and narrow it down to nothing.</p><p> </p><p>Instead, he put his hand down to his side, Morgan grabbing it by default. She glanced up at him and smiled a toothy grin – she’d lost her first tooth over the summer, something that was quite the feat for the five-year-old. </p><p> </p><p>He shot Peter another smile before tugging at his daughter’s hand, his skin suddenly crawling with a feeling he couldn’t describe. “See you next week, Mr. Peter,” Tony tossed over his shoulder as they walked out – the younger man’s eyes not leaving him the entire time. A squeeze to one of his fingers had Tony looking down at the small girl next to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you get the mint chip ice cream?” Morgan asked, her voice all of the sudden higher pitched, her eyes wide with worry. He fucked up one time and didn’t replace the stash and this was the treatment he got. Rolling his eyes, Tony kept her on edge until they got to the car. He dropped her hand and made quick work of putting her in her seat.</p><p> </p><p>When she was all buckled in, Tony tickled her tummy, the squirms and giggles totally worth the shoe he took right in the bicep. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her head when their laughter died down, his heart full for the first time throughout that entire week. “I got mint chip ice cream and chocolate sauce. How’s that for sundae night?” Tony asked her, his pointer finger pressing against her nose in a very boop-like gesture.</p><p> </p><p>The soft hand on his cheek surprised him for a second, Morgan going from laughter to total seriousness in the matter of a second. She totally got that trait from her mother, he thought – his eyes moving until he caught glances with his daughter. “I love you, Daddy,” Morgan said softly, her small fingers brushing his cheeks lightly. “Don’t tell mommy this, but you’re much better at sundae night. She tried to make me eat those bright red cherries – yuck!”</p><p> </p><p>It felt a little easier to breath after that – he got in the car a whole lot more lighthearted than before, at least. Her babbles coming from the backseat were much better than anything Tony could have put on the radio – he loved learning more about Truffles the turtle and his adventures around the fish tank. One day he’d get her a dog and he couldn’t wait to see how she’d react to that – all of the stories she would tell.</p><p> </p><p>Walking into the penthouse, Tony almost lost his shit right along with the little girl – her eyes lit up and her feet were carrying her over to the track he built before the rest of her body got on board. The trip and stumble she did added to the inability to keep a straight face – he slapped a hand over his mouth to continue to observe her silently. She walked around the track and inspected all of the different areas she knew Tony planned to change last weekend. “It looks like my red car is definitely going to win this time,” she mumbled, her hands skimming along the edges of it.</p><p> </p><p>Despite loving the heck out of her, Tony felt determined to teach Morgan about reality and the ins and outs of navigating it. He never let her win and took lots of slack from Pepper about it – yet, it made her a smarter game player. She thought things through – she looked at the entire picture. If it made him an asshole to teach her that being the best was the only way to do things – well, he didn’t really give a shit. Tony already knew he was an asshole, anyway.</p><p> </p><p>The few steps between himself and the living room were easily taken, his chest filled with excitement. Her reaction was exactly what he’d been looking for, the girl’s smile the single best thing Tony had in his life at present. He smiled in her direction, his eyebrows quirked, “we’ll see.” He swiftly picked her up, small arms wrapping around his neck without any hesitation. “Why don’t you go get changed into some lab clothes and we can find out,” Tony suggested, a kiss being placed on her cheek as he did.</p><p> </p><p>Morgan giggled and kicked her feet, her hands pushing against him. “Put me down and I will.” He did exactly that, her legs moving the second she touched the ground. Getting to the end of the hall, she turned back and faced Tony, a mischievous glint in her eye – “you’re going down, daddy.”</p><p> </p><p> ----</p><p> </p><p>Tony sat leaned against the island early the next morning – the dream he fell into last night still so very vivid, like every single touch he experienced within it was the real thing. His hands tightened around the mug in his hands, eyes slamming shut. It didn’t make sense, to feel so guilty – dreams were nothing, totally personal – no one had to or even got to know what was in them. Yet, he couldn’t stop himself from playing it over and over again. Maybe that’s why he felt so dirty about it.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t surprising when he fell into bed and immediately went to sleep the second his head hit the pillow. Between the races, copious amounts of ice cream, and the big game of tag they played right before bed, Tony was exhausted. He didn’t do a lot of sleeping during the earlier part of the week, either – so the rest was much needed. It wasn’t often he went through his sleep cycle enough to dream, he jumped awake at almost any sound or movement. Not last night, though – no, he’d gotten to live out the dream what felt like the entire night.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>In it, he found himself on his knees. That made a lot of sense, actually – he liked that position and couldn’t remember the last time he found himself in it. His work-roughened hands were trailing along pale thighs, the skin there unblemished and slightly hairy – the muscle settled under the skin just right against his fingertips. His mouth was preoccupied with the expanse of a trim waist, tongue and teeth making a trail from one hipbone to the other. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>It felt like the start of something very, very good. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Then, he looked up to catch the eye of the person above him and noticed chestnut curls, dark eyes, and pretty pink lips – the name Peter wanting to fall from his lips. Fingers were thrust into his hair and before he could think any more on it, Tony’s lips were wrapping themselves around an irresistible length – the tip already weeping with wetness, the tang of it pulling a moan from his chest. He set a vigorous pace and enjoyed every single second of it. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Right before what he assumed was a load of cum dripping down his throat, the hand in his hair gripped tightly, pulling his head back until Tony felt his lips slip off perfect, velvet heat – his eyes wide in confusion. “I want to cum with you inside of me,” Peter purred. Tony could do nothing other than get to his feet, his head being taken between two palms and brought forward until their lips were pressed together.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>When he eventually bottomed out, Peter’s legs were on his shoulders, his knees pressing into Tony’s neck as their skin finally settled together. Because it was a dream, it went on forever. Tony could still remember the way the sweat trailed down the side of his face, his arms heavy and sore from holding his body up and thrusting with everything he had left. His stomach clenched tightly until there was nothing left but to jump off and give into the delightful pleasure of the free fall.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Even if was just a dream, Tony hadn’t ever cum that hard in his life and the result in his boxers when he jumped awake was something new, too. The last time he had a wet dream, he’d been under the age of 14 with no clue as to what in the hell was happening. Now, it felt a little shameful, like he couldn’t control his urges. In truth, that kind of seemed like the case. There weren’t even twelve hours between meeting the man and having a vivid fantasy about him.</p><p> </p><p>Tony tried not to think about how very much his type the man was – or how Tony pictured a someone just like him in all his fantasies, long before he ever met the man.</p><p> </p><p>Blinking, Tony brought his coffee cup up to his lips, the coldness of the bitter liquid a straight shock to his system. He spat it back into the cup and rolled his eyes – he must have been sitting there a lot longer than he initially thought. It shook him to the core though, how easily the other man affected him – how much Tony wanted, craved, hell – how much he needed. Hiding away from the world came with some downfalls – this one obvious enough. Suppression didn’t change the facts.</p><p> </p><p>There wasn’t any use dwelling about it in that moment, however. Glancing down at the watch on his wrist, Tony figured he had 20 more minutes of silence before the sound of little feet barreling down the hallway engulfed the place. The thought brought a smile to his face, Tony very glad to have the distraction of fun times with his beautiful daughter. Especially after last night – a little quality time doing absolutely nothing other than having a good time was exactly what he needed. With that in mind, he got up from his slumped over position and strode further into the kitchen, the intent to make breakfast fresh on his mind.</p><p> </p><p>Like he figured, Morgan sprinted into the room right around the time the bacon finished cooking – her eyes still muggy with sleep, but a soft smile on her face. “It smells good in here,” she eventually said, her bunny still in her hand as she climbed into her usual chair. “Did you do French toast, too?”</p><p> </p><p>The spatula in his hand easily flipped the last couple of pieces of their breakfast while she spoke, his mind a lot clearer than just a few minutes earlier. He looked over at her, the spatula coming up to point in her direction. “Is it really breakfast without French toast?” Tony shot back. Her giggle was everything, a direct shot to the heart. Turning back to the stove, he dumped both pieces onto a plate and turned off the burner. It took a little constructing, but he had a nice-looking plate of cut up French toast pieces and two strips of bacon smothered in warm maple syrup in front of her within a couple of minutes.</p><p> </p><p>“Bon Appetit,” he said with a flourish. Morgan clapped for him, though her eyes were glued to the food in front of her. Placing a kiss on her cheek, Tony walked back over the stove and put together his own plate before joining her. They ate in a companionable silence, which suited Tony just fine. He loved her never-ending commentary on everything – her brain was beautiful and was quickly starting to shape into something he couldn’t wait to see come to life. He also appreciated the times he got to watch her in silence, the way she stuffed several pieces of French toast into her mouth so endearing, despite being silly, too.</p><p> </p><p>She even helped him clear the dishes – which blew him off his feet every time it happened. Tony knew they’d been trying to teach her manners and the rules of the land for the past five years – it was something completely different when the tangible example stood in front of him, her reaction genuine and without hesitation. “How do you feel about the zoo today, sweet pea?” Tony asked her, his hip hitting the dishwasher door to close it all the way.</p><p> </p><p>“The zoo sounds perfect. As long as we can spend some time in the lab later. I want you to show me what you did to the wheels of your car,” Morgan responded immediately, her hands brushing some of the stray hair from her face. Tony couldn’t stop the laugh that slipped from his lips – her determination to beat him so goddamn cute.</p><p> </p><p>Turning, Tony picked her up, his arms wrapping around her tightly. “Alright, that sounds like a deal. How many times should we feed the giraffes?”</p><p> </p><p>A couple of hours later, Tony had a tuckered-out Morgan in his arms, the girl passed out after all the excitement of the zoo. Since they were up so early, they caught all of the animals during feeding time. Tony donated frequently to the city zoos, so it didn’t take anything other than mentioning of who he was to get them a little closer. As usual, the elephants and giraffes were a favorite amongst the two – Tony hoped the photographer at the exhibit got the big animal licking Morgan’s face, the whole scene absolutely priceless.</p><p> </p><p>It was mutually decided to vacate the premises when the sun started to make the day really hot – the place was starting to get crowded, anyway. Walking back from the elephant exhibit, Morgan asked to climb into his arms and promptly fell asleep against his chest. She was growing up so fast – each week between visits making it seem like he missed so much of her life, of the beautiful process of watching her grow. Moments like this were ones he felt determined to cherish. He managed to get her back to the car and into the seat without waking her up – something he didn’t often accomplish. Her sleeping habits matched his in a lot of ways, being a light sleeper amongst them.</p><p> </p><p>He knew she was tired when Morgan didn’t protest against the nap he suggested when they walked into the house. She simply grabbed her bunny and settled into the makeshift bed on the couch. Sitting down next to her, Tony stroked her hair while she slept for another hour – Amazing World of Gumball providing him comfort while the princess snoozed.</p><p> </p><p>The total wind down brought energy back with a vengeance, though – the second she woke up, the rest of the day moved by in a whirlwind. They snacked on hot dogs and mac and cheese before tucking into the small area he made for her in his lab – all of the tools safe for the young girl to actually handle. Tony took apart his blue hot wheel car and showed her the modifications – her eyes roaming over everything his pointed to, her entire being focused on his words. When they made the same modifications to her car, she looked up at him triumphantly, a smirk on her lips. “Now I’m really going to beat you, daddy.”</p><p> </p><p>And she did – a couple times, actually. The little dance she made up to rub the fact in his face made the couple extra modifications he made while she wasn’t looking worth it. Maybe letting her win every now and again wasn’t too terrible, especially when she learned so much throughout the process. He got to listen to her talk about her win the entire time they ate the pizza he ordered and well into the rest of the night, her mind still there when he settled her under the covers – his own fatigue wearing his patience down a little bit.</p><p> </p><p>Tucking her in, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, a chuckle leaving his lips. “If you don’t stop rubbing it in, I’m not going to want to challenge you to a rematch tomorrow,” Tony whispered to her, his tone conspiratorial, like he was sharing a secret with her. “You have to go to sleep right now, or we’ll never know who the best winner out of three is.”</p><p> </p><p>The soft gasp that escaped her lips almost cracked the serious façade – her worry tangible in how still she got on the bed, in how fast her little eyelids closed, the typical faking sleep thing coming into play. Rolling his eyes, he pressed another kiss to her forehead. “Sleep for real, okay? We’re gonna see if Uncle Happy has gotten any better at driving his go-cart since the last time.” He swiped his thumb against her cheek bone, a soft smile on his face. “Love you, peanut.”</p><p> </p><p>Morgan turned her head and pressed a kiss against the hand still near her cheek. “I love you 3000, daddy.” Her response was immediate, the words always a kick right in the heart – making him melt just a tiny bit more.</p><p> </p><p>When he peeked in on her later, he grinned at the way she was completely passed out, her bunny on the floor by the head of the bed. He picked it up and placed it within her reach – there’d been a time when she couldn’t do a damn thing without that stupid bunny. Shaking his head, he took one more glance at the small human he’d been gifted before walking out and heading to his own room.</p><p> </p><p>Exhaustion took him under quickly again, the dreams so far from his mind throughout the day, he didn’t think about what a second night worth of them might be like. The desperation and neediness in his mind was manifesting into something Tony couldn’t control and for the most part, didn’t really want to, either. At least in his dreams, he could be himself – enjoy the hell out of the things he didn’t often let himself have. Things that – with each passing night and each sexier dream, he didn’t want to stop himself from having any longer, either.</p><p> </p><p>Soon enough, Tony was taking Morgan into school on Monday morning, their epic weekend elongated a couple days because Pepper and Steve got caught in a storm that delayed their flight. The idea of getting a couple extra days with her daddy had Morgan running around the room, her hands clapping loudly. To stop the noise, Tony reminded her that she still needed to go to school and their weekend time would not extend into the week – he knew Pepper’s routine was strict and planned to keep to it.</p><p> </p><p>Dropping Morgan off came with the extra perk of running into the gorgeous Peter, the young teacher in grey slacks and a navy-blue polo when Tony encountered him that first day of the week. Morgan didn’t bother sticking around, there were already a group of four other kids looking in her direction expectantly. Making a soft noise of hurt, Tony turned to walk out of the room when a voice stopped him.</p><p> </p><p>“Mr. Stark – I’m surprised to see you again so soon,” Peter said, his long legs putting him in front of Tony before he could even process the words. His eyes betrayed him, the muscles firing to move them back and forth, the miles of the younger man’s skin being unconsciously catalogued. Blushing, Tony tore his gaze away for a second.</p><p> </p><p>The long locks of Morgan’s hair over Peter’s shoulder calmed him immediately, his focus returning back to the gorgeous man after a moment. “Her mom is still out of town – so I’ve got her for the next couple of days. The extra time is greatly appreciated,” Tony replied, his cheeks slipping into a smile on their own. “It’s nice to see you again.”</p><p> </p><p>The words were out before he could siphon them through the filter, yet – he could see Peter’s cheeks spread into a smile on their own, his chocolate brown eyes sparkling. How in the world did someone look that stunning? He shifted a little, trying to lessen the pressure of the building heat within him. Another person never affected him like this – especially with just a smile and a look.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s nice to see you again, too. Morgan loves her mother; you can totally tell. The way she feels about you, though – it’s something else. The way you are with her is – it’s nice. Really nice,” Peter stuttered out the last couple of words, his cheeks taking on a scarlet blush. It was an endearing color, the red coordinating well with the darkness of his hair and the smooth pale skin encasing it.</p><p> </p><p>The pressure he’d been trying to relieve built some more, his insides feeling like they were on the verge of explosion.</p><p> </p><p>“She’s a miniature version of myself. That’s hard not to love,” he got out immediately, his eyes breaking from Peter’s to look over his shoulder again. All of the kids waiting at the door for her were gathered in a circle around her, the girl’s hands gesturing wildly as she told them a story. Probably the one about their race on Sunday where her car slid past the finish line a couple milliseconds before Tony’s did.  Glancing back, he noticed Peter’s smile softened, face still covered in that delicious blush.</p><p> </p><p>“She’s also the coolest person on the planet. But I know you already know that.”</p><p> </p><p>They both laughed at that, the truth of it pretty undeniable. Peter shook his head, the obvious attempt to clear it making the longer hair on the front of his head fall into his eyes – the look of it even more stunning – disheveled looked good on the young teacher. The look they shared went on a little longer than should have been appropriate, a little arm grabbing Peter’s leg the only thing that brought both of them out of the haze. Tony sucked in a breath, his eyes going wide for a second.</p><p> </p><p>He’d been so comfortable trapped in the fog of shared connection – for the first time in his entire life, Tony didn’t feel ashamed by the fact that another man was the reason for the big smile on his face. That thought was scary and sent him in the other direction quickly. “I’ll get out of your hair. Have a nice day, Peter,” Tony offered, his feet already carrying him out the door.</p><p> </p><p>----</p><p> </p><p>Fortunately for both Tony and Morgan, Pepper and Steve remained stuck in Florida for the rest of the week – which meant they got to hangout after school every day. It didn’t hurt, either, the fact that Tony got to drop her off and pick her up – each time he did, his interactions with Peter got better and better, the man interesting and seemingly interested in Tony, too.</p><p> </p><p>Rolling into Friday, Tony was excited to head into the weekend – they were planning on heading to Central Park the next day, Morgan excited to see all of the puppies and run around the green, green grass. Her enjoyment of the little things never ceased to amaze him. Regardless, he felt great, his daughter’s presence a huge part of that. A very, very huge part of that.</p><p> </p><p>Waking up to take care of her before school made the day start on a good note – the time between dropping her off and picking her up, Tony let himself obsess over the work on his desk in the lab. The act of stepping out and doing something else broke up his concentration and made leaving the lab so much easier. It seemed crazy, how much a couple extra days with his favorite person could change things up for him.</p><p> </p><p>And, okay – Tony had to admit that being open in his flirting with Peter during their brief conversations felt pretty good, too. For whatever reason, the man made him feel like he could be himself – like the fact that he smiled too big and looked too long wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, Tony could swear he found Peter glancing at him, staring when he thought Tony wasn’t paying direct attention. He always made sure to stop and talk to Tony when he came to pick Morgan up, his cheeks stained with a now recognizable (and stupidly attractive) flush.</p><p> </p><p>It was so obvious that Tony found himself speechless when Morgan practically shouted – “I think Mr. Peter likes you, daddy,” from the back of the car on the way home Thursday afternoon. Like many things with Morgan, the bluntness of her actions felt like a punch to the gut. A needed one, maybe – but a punch to the gut, nonetheless. He glanced back at her in the rearview mirror, the little girl’s attention never straying from the bunny in her hands, despite the words coming from her mouth.</p><p> </p><p>She turned out to be right, though – Peter caught his eye before Morgan did when he went to pick her up on Friday. Tony watched delicately long legs bring Peter towards him, that smile he liked so much plastered on the other man’s face. “Hey, Tony,” he started, a determined look on his face. “It’s probably a little unorthodox – me just coming up to you like this. But uh – I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me, uhm – this weekend?” The way he sputtered through the question made Tony’s heart quake, the muscle working overtime in the moment.</p><p> </p><p>Smiling wide, Tony could do nothing other than nod – his throat a little tight from the range of emotions running through him. Most of the exchanges he had with men in the past happened in the darkness of night, not in the middle of a kindergarten classroom. He couldn’t find it in him to be mad about it, though – this felt much more right, more wholesome and real. Like maybe, if he went about things the right way, it could be more than just once – that concept so foreign to Tony, so different than the settling he’d done in the past.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes – I would like that very much. I have Morgan all weekend, though – she’ll have to tag along,” Tony replied – he wasn’t going to feel bad about including the girl, they’d probably have a great time simply because she was there, anyway.</p><p> </p><p>Peter didn’t bat an eye; his smile grew at the mention of Morgan – the man had an obvious soft spot for her. “I already figured. I thought maybe we could go to the park, or something. I usually spend Saturday morning out and about with Gracey, my dog.” His smile was huge, the prospect of spending time with him and Morgan something that seemed to truly make him happy.</p><p> </p><p>Tony’s eyes lit up at the mention of a dog, his heart skipping another beat – the entire situation got better and better as the seconds past. “A dog? Oh, squirt is going to shit her pants. I can’t wait to see that,” Tony said nonchalantly, his eyes sparkling. “We were going to go to Central Park – is that a fine enough establishment for the lovely Gracey?”</p><p> </p><p>Morgan ran towards them as they spoke, her light up shoes flashing with each step. Her arms reached up, the universal signal to be picked up. Leaning down, Tony swept her up, her small frame tucking against his side easily. He reminded himself to soak in the moments like this one, the smallness she had now wouldn’t stick around forever. He bit down on his tongue to chase that thought away – things were going well; it’d be stupid to bog them down with stuff that didn’t matter.  </p><p> </p><p>“Central Park sounds great. Is 9 too early for you guys?” Peter looked between the two of them, the man obviously including Morgan in the decision, too.</p><p> </p><p>“Morgan, Peter is going to join us for our walk through Central Park tomorrow with his doggie Gracey, does that sound okay to you? Is 9 too early?” He bounced her on his hip slightly, the movement making her giggle.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, daddy. That sounds like fun. Mr. Peter, will I be able to play with your dog?” Morgan asked innocently, her head tilted in curiosity – her mind spinning like a pinwheel, the girl so much like her daddy.</p><p> </p><p>A soft laugh left the other man’s chest, his lips tugging into that patented smile. “Gracey loves new friends, she’ll be excited to make one out of you, Morgan,” Peter replied softly. “I even think she’ll let you walk her if you’re extra good.”</p><p> </p><p>Morgan’s face became serious after that, her jaw set in child-like resolve. “I’ll be on my best behavior, I promise,” she said, holding out a pinkie between them. She waited patiently, a smile on her face the entire time.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to hold you to that,” the other joked, his pinky flying out to join Morgan’s in the pinky swear handshake she’d taken to doing. He even knew to press his thumb against hers so they could stamp it – the promise now made and not able to be broken.</p><p> </p><p>Shaking his head at the two of them, Tony used his free hand to reach into his pocket to grab a business card. Their fingers grazed when he handed it over, a smirk on Tony’s face. In that moment, he felt confident – happy with the way things were going for once. “Text me later, we’ll figure out somewhere to meet.” Tony didn’t say he wanted Peter to have his number just in case he wanted to talk, or for emergencies – little things like that.</p><p> </p><p>Tony watched Peter pocket the card, a satisfied feeling settling in his chest. Looking up at Morgan, he used his fingers to tickle her stomach – the action never failing to get the exact reaction he was looking for. Her laugh brought him pure joy and always would. “Tell Mr. Peter we’ll see him tomorrow,” Tony prodded, the two men sharing a look when she turned her head towards him, the promise she made obviously still fresh in her mind.</p><p> </p><p>“See you tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet Gracey,” Morgan added, her smile cheeky – the trademark Stark smirk slowly starting to slip into her repertoire. “Can we go now, daddy?” Her words sounded familiar, Tony heard them every day this week, his flirtations with Peter digging into her social life, apparently.</p><p> </p><p>Chuckling, Tony pressed a kiss to her cheek, any irritation he felt melting the second it entered his brain. She was too damn cute for her own good – the damn kid had him wrapped around her finger. “Sure thing, squirt. See you tomorrow, Peter,” Tony said, his eyes meeting the others for a few seconds, the gaze warm and a little heated – their promise not coming in the form of a pinky swear.</p><p> </p><p>It didn’t take much for either of the Stark’s to get moving the next morning. Partly because Tony promised donuts for breakfast if Morgan didn’t give him any hassle at bedtime – which she did not – not a single bit of it whatsoever. He knew her sugar high later in the day would kick his ass, yet – the idea of watching her bounce off the walls made his heart race a little. Having fun was easy with the little girl around, even if it meant that fun came from watching the little girl enjoy herself.</p><p> </p><p>At the donut shop, they stood with their noses pressed against the glass, each trying to decide what the best selection would be. “Do you think Mr. Peter is a glazed guy? Or a filled donut type? Or should we just get a bunch of different ones and cross our fingers?” Tony asked her idly, the little girl looking up at him with a shrug.</p><p> </p><p>“You should just get one of everything. Especially that big chocolate one back there,” answered, her eyes glued to the biggest donut in the case. Shaking his head, Tony followed her advice and grabbed one of everything. Between that a chocolate milk and the two coffees, they were pretty much set.</p><p> </p><p>He let Morgan run in front of him when they got closer to the park – they’d been there enough for the girl to know where they were and to be aware of where he was. She didn’t seem to think it prudent to stray too far, anyway – she came babbling back to him every few steps with the next observation. It went on until they finally got to the point where they were meeting Peter, the younger man already standing there with a gorgeous blue bull terrier, the dog already straining at the leash as they approached.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Pete,” Tony greeted, his hand already moving to hold the cupholder out between them. “Morgan got this crazy chocolate donut, but there’s a ton of other sugary goodness in there, if you’re interested. Cream and sugar, too,” he let Peter take the second coffee, then held the bag up. Peter took the coffee and most of the cream and sugar – his face sheepish for a second before going all in. Tony grinned at that, his taste for black coffee never coming in handy more. Tony got the bag back with a plain glazed donut missing and a soft smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Starks. You guys are clutch – I was just telling Gracey how hungry I was,” Peter started, his words cut up a little by the bits of donut he was chewing in his mouth. Tony watched transfixed, the human in front of him getting cooler by the second. “We did our morning jog around the park already, so she’ll be ready for a casual stroll now.”</p><p> </p><p>Looking at him, Tony could see running shoes on his feet and long joggers – they sat delectably on the man’s ass, the fabric just on the right side of tight. It took him a second to pull his gaze away and when he did, he took a couple of clearing breaths, each one only slightly loosening the clench in his chest. “Sounds like you’ve had a productive morning. Want to walk a little and find a place to sit down? Morgan is practically bursting at the seams to pet Gracey – who is absolutely beautiful, by the way.”</p><p> </p><p>The smile back at him had the clenching tightness in his chest coming back – Tony realizing in that instant that it was just Peter making him feel that way. The feeling was foreign, something that shouldn’t make sense or feel the way it did – at the same time, Tony felt himself giving into that clench with every second that passed. Maybe this is what it felt like to actually like someone – to feel nervous and apprehensive and elated to freely be enjoying every second.</p><p> </p><p>Tony returned the glowing grin with one of his own – his heart stammering in his chest in the best of ways.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m surprised they haven’t jumped each other yet, to be honest. Gracey isn’t usually all that patient. I like your idea, though – I saw another donut in that bag I might like to try, too,” Peter spoke in such a calm way, his demeanor relaxed, the other man seemingly lacking the nerves coursing through Tony.</p><p> </p><p>They set a slow pace, both Morgan and Gracey way out ahead of them, the little girl trying to bend down and pet the dog’s flank every few steps. When they passed a trash can, Tony threw away the drink carrier with his now empty coffee – the freedom of his hands something he appreciated when he and Peter started to drift a little closer. “Tell me a bit about yourself,” Tony murmured after a while. The silence between them was nice, but Tony was interested – he figured there was more beyond the surface of the man standing next to him.</p><p> </p><p>Peter stayed silent for a couple of minutes, the man obviously formulating his answer. From the beginning, Tony noticed that Peter didn’t jump into anything, he thought about his words and delivered them with meaning. Tony forced himself to be patient and wait to hear what the other man said – his natural instinct to ask another question becoming easier to tamper down with every single exposure to Peter. He let his arm swing between them, instead, his attention slipping between their matching steps and the slight brush of Peter’s hand against his own as they took them.</p><p> </p><p>“When I’m not Mr. Peter, I create code for websites and watch an abundance of Bob’s Burgers. I grew up in Queen’s, so New York has always been home for me. Gracey and I have been living that single life together for about four years now- oh, and I’m deathly allergic to honey,” Peter finally replied, his head turning ever couple of words to catch Tony’s eyes as he spoke. “What about you, Tony Stark? What makes you tick?” the words were low and accompanied by a head tilt towards a bench a few feet ahead of them.</p><p> </p><p>There wasn’t a lot of room on the bench, so they needed to sit pretty close to each other – which, for Tony, felt like a precious gift. Their shoulders settled together, the warmth radiating against Tony’s right side absolutely staggering – everything about Peter felt that way. Watching Morgan for a second, he saw her and Gracey getting to know each other – the easy way the dog let her in and started to play meant they’d have at least a few minutes of distraction.</p><p> </p><p>With the donuts between them, Tony let his free hand run along the length of the bench, his fingers just a few inches shy of ending up on Peter’s shoulder. He relaxed into the seat, the general goodness of the scene too good not to enjoy. “To be honest with you, I’m kind of a boring guy. I spend way too much time in my lab, which is completely covered in nanotech at the moment, so there’s many hours to be wasted. I like old rock music and great whiskey. And Morgan. Being her dad is one of the best bits of me,” he turned then, catching eyes with Peter. The man shifted a bit while Tony spoke, his knee now pulled up onto the bench.</p><p> </p><p>He looked at Tony with such an open expression, his entire body seemingly willing to take in all the facts thrown his way. With a quick breath, Tony let his biggest shame slip from his lips – the idea of having someone understand him making it easier than it should have been. “I’ve also been closeted for most of my life – so there’s a lot about me that I don’t really know about.” He felt his face color as the words sounded between them – an embarrassment embracing him simply because he admitted something like that.</p><p> </p><p>A knee hitting his thigh was not the reaction he expected – though, Peter wasn’t at all what he expected, either – so maybe he should get used to that feeling. Shifting a bit, Tony let Peter’s knee press a little more firmly into his thigh – the touch comforting, despite the mortification running through him from his little confession.</p><p> </p><p>“None of that sounded boring. Especially the nanotech. You may need to show me that sometime soon,” Peter started, his body moving until the arm Tony had around the back of the bench could easily fit around his shoulders. There wasn’t any expectation in the move, just reassurance of understanding, a silent confirmation that Peter did in fact get what Tony was going through. “Are you going to stay there?” The unspoken ‘in the closet’ wasn’t missed, its implication as clear as the attraction between them.</p><p> </p><p>With Peter so close, Tony gave in a little, his fingertips trailing along the edge of Peter’s shoulder, the touch barely there. Thinking about it, Tony knew that he couldn’t – stay in the closet. Not any longer. Not after taking several years from another human’s life, just to keep a secret that, for all intents and purposes, didn’t mean shit to anyone but himself and himself alone. So many things warred inside of him, but he knew he wasn’t – not when there were so many parts of life he missed out on already.</p><p> </p><p>“No – definitely not. It’s kind of a lonely place. One I don’t think I really need to be in any longer,” Tony said, finality and determination in his voice. He didn’t want to run down the street shouting about his love for cock, he might never get to that level, but he liked being out with Peter – he enjoyed the casualty of being with someone that made him feel good. And if Morgan taught him anything in the last few days, it was that he deserved to be happy – things in life went a lot better when a resounding feeling of joy overtook the dread of always being tucked away.</p><p> </p><p>Peter’s free hand patted his thigh softly, his shoulder pressing into Tony’s side. “Good, the grass is definitely greener on the other side,” he said softly. Tony felt himself smile, the hand on the bench closing the last few inches and wrapping around his shoulders, pulling him close. Green on the other side, indeed.</p><p> </p><p>The rest of the morning went by in a haze of laughter, too much sugar, and the constant babble of one Morgan Stark. They walked around the park for another hour or so – Morgan’s sugar rush hitting right around the time Peter offered to let her walk Gracey. By the time they were walking back towards their cars, Morgan was walking sluggishly with the equally tired dog – Peter and Tony sharing a grin over their heads. “Do you want to come back to ours? I can get these two set up with some lunch and a place to crash for a little while,” Tony asked, the hilarity of how close they actually parked by each other wearing off when they collected to say goodbye.</p><p> </p><p>Tony wasn’t ready for the day to end – and by the way Morgan kept herself close to Gracey’s lead, she wasn’t ready for it to end, either. Like they were running on the same wavelength, Tony and Morgan both looked over at Peter with puppy dog eyes – the Stark looks working in more ways than one.</p><p> </p><p>It seemed like they managed to melt him in his tracks, Peter’s face softened, and a hearty laugh fell from his lips. “You two are going to be quite the pair, aren’t you?” He shook his head, his smile growing. “I don’t have anything else planned for the day, so I’m down. As long as you give me lunch, too. Six donuts aren’t even close to being enough,” Peter rubbed his stomach, his eyebrows arching.</p><p> </p><p>The possibility of spontaneously combusting washed over him for a second, his face heating up, cheeks burning with a certain sort of fire. What in the actual fuck was happening to him? Biting down on his lip, Tony reined himself in, his head nodding. “You got it, dude,” Tony responded, his hand reaching down to grab Morgan’s, her face once again happy now that her time with Gracey wasn’t coming to an end yet. “I’ll send you the address, but we’re going straight back – if you want to follow.”</p><p> </p><p>After getting Morgan into the seat and onto the road, Tony turned the AC/DC they’d been jamming to early down and looked over his shoulder. “How was that? Seems like you had a lot of fun with Gracey,” Tony remarked, his lips tugging into a soft grin.</p><p> </p><p>“Gracey is my new best friend, daddy. Peter said he had a ball for her in his car. Can we play with it back at the house? I’ll try not to break anything,” Morgan’s words came out in one clump, her excitement and inability to control it spilling out all over the place. Her feet were kicking, and the bunny was back in her arms.</p><p> </p><p>He snorted, his hand clenching around the steering wheel to stop himself from laughing outright – there was no denying that she was his child. “As long as you try not to break anything. You can go into the big guest room without the bed – you guys can run around all you want in there.” Keeping his eyes on the wheel, he reached back to pat her knee lightly. “Glad you had fun, pumpkin.”</p><p> </p><p>A while later, Tony and Peter were tucked onto the couch in the Stark living room, the race car track now put away (and by that, he meant fully functional in one of the other guest rooms) to give a clear view of the tv once again. Peter’s surprisingly good cooking skills came in handy when they made fresh tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.</p><p> </p><p>Watching Peter show Morgan how to crunch up Goldfish into her soup made his heart skip a couple of beats – and any delusion of not being totally smitten with Peter was out the window. His kid meant the world to him, the simple fact that she didn’t miss a beat with Peter around spoke volumes.</p><p> </p><p>Morgan and Gracey were snuggled up together on the floor of the little girl’s room. The excitement of the morning and purposeful heartiness of the meal had her down for the count pretty quickly – the dog following her not long after that. Which left Peter and Tony with the illusion of some time alone together. Tony put on one of the movies within reach, which turned out to be Wreck It Ralph, and joined the other on the couch. A part of him hoped the choice of movie wouldn’t matter – there were other, better things they could be doing.</p><p> </p><p>Other than the little chuckle when the menu popped up, Peter said nothing about what flashed across the tv screen. Tony settled into the couch the same way he did earlier on the bench, with his arm across the back of the chair. Peter didn’t beat around the bush, though – he settled into the warmth of Tony’s side, the intoxicating smell of his curly locks apparent now that they were so close. With a soft breath, Tony wrapped his arm around Peter, his lips pressing against his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks for hanging out today. I haven’t had this much fun in a while,” Tony whispered, his lips still pressed against Peter’s skin. And that was the total truth – Tony couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed himself so much – when his happiness did not depend solely on Morgan and how she was feeling. In a moment of clarity, he thought about how much pressure that was for such a young kid. Well, then.</p><p> </p><p>Shaking his head, he pulled a little until Peter was pressed flush against his chest – his enjoyment of the non-sexual connection something new and exciting. He recalled the word intimacy and wondered if that’s what he was experiencing in that very moment. A hand came up to cup his cheek, Peter shifting until he could see Tony over his shoulder.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks for having me. You seem to be a very good man, Tony Stark,” Peter said in answer a couple minutes later, the two of them trying to soak up the closeness – Tony desperate for whatever he could get of it.</p><p> </p><p>Though the angle was weird, Tony leaned forward and pressed his lips against Peter’s, the hand on his cheek grasping a little tighter. Peter responded to him immediately, his lips melding to Tony’s in a way that sucked the oxygen right from him. Pulling away slowly, Tony blinked his eyes open – the world looking a little bit different when he did. He never believed all the cliché bull shit about love at first sight, but there was something about this feeling – Tony might find himself becoming a believer, after all.</p><p> </p><p>Peter’s smile had him pressing in again, the touch chaste – just enough for Tony to remember the feeling, the more exposure he got, the better the memory would be. The other man tried to turn in his arms, but the patter of little feet on the floor outside of the room stopped him. If this were any other time, he would have jumped off the couch – guilt written in his expression. Instead, Tony and Peter shifted a little until they were merely sitting next to each other – the older man’s arm draped casually along the back of the couch.</p><p> </p><p>The click of nails followed the noisy footsteps and soon they were joined by Morgan and Gracey – the little girl settling herself on Tony’s lap. She looked between the two of them and then back at the screen – her brown eyes wide. “You’re not supposed to watch Ralph without me, daddy. You too, Peter,” she sounded exasperated – like they were really testing her patience.</p><p> </p><p>By the end of the movie, both Morgan and Peter were passed out against him, the soft snores fluttering the sleeve of his shirt making it hard to move. He shifted a little, intent on putting Morgan to bed for a little while longer and letting Peter sleep his nap out.</p><p> </p><p>The second he moved, though, Peter blinked awake, the sleepiness so apparent on his face utterly adorable. “Damn, I missed the end. I love the Mentos volcano he makes,” Peter mumbled, his body shifting to sit up, the heat of it against Tony’s side immediately missed. “I should probably get going. I have twenty construction paper projects I need to cut out before Monday.”</p><p> </p><p>Tony grinned, the normalcy that Peter treated him with the best of the new feelings he’d been experiencing. Peter was somebody he could merely share life with – the idea a little dizzying. He held up a finger and got up off the couch. “Let me get Morgan into bed and I’ll walk you out.”</p><p> </p><p>It didn’t take long to get Morgan tucked into her bed, the movie she’d been watching earlier started over, so he lowered the volume and walked back out into the living room. Peter was squatted down next to Gracey, his hands running over her head. He straightened up when he noticed Tony coming back into the room, the look on his face soft.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks again, Tony. I had an amazing time.” Peter took the last few steps to narrow the distance between them, one of his arms wrapping around Tony’s shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>Following suit, Tony got both his arms around Peter’s waist and pulled him closer, their lips finding each other without much thought. Though he craved a deeper toucher, Tony kept the pass of their lips stay tame, teasing – just on the right side of intimate. When he pulled away, Tony leaned his forehead against Peter’s for a second, a long breath being drawn into his lungs.</p><p> </p><p>“Me too. Can we do it again? I’ll be back on my own during the week, I’d love to take you out.” Tony’s words sounded confident, but nervousness ran through him – no matter how often he’d done this with women, it was completely different with a man, this man particularly. He felt a little out of his depth, and ultimately – scared out of his fucking mind. An answer came in the way of long fingers running through his hair and a gooey smile, Peter’s eyes gleaming.</p><p> </p><p>----</p><p> </p><p>And so it went for a while. Morgan went home the very next morning, Pepper was grateful and offered to let him pick her up a little more often from school – to which Tony readily agreed. Spending all of his time with her this week made Tony realize just how much he missed her, how important making sure he was there actually was to him. No more missing Friday afternoon pick-ups – no matter how cool the shit in the lab ended up being. Before she left, Pepper pressed a kiss to his cheek – her voice soft when she spoke. “You look happier. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”</p><p> </p><p>He knew he didn’t need permission from her, but it felt a lot better to open his life to Peter with Pepper’s insistence that he allowed himself to be happy. In the 10 years they’d been together, Tony talked to Pepper about his true wants and feelings a grand total of two times. She never judged and gave him more than any sound human probably would have. Maybe that’s why it felt so monumental – her blessing, because out of all the people in his life, she knew the one piece of him he never wanted to share before. It didn’t color her opinion of him one bit.</p><p> </p><p>Getting back into the flow of dating didn’t take any work at all – with Peter by his side, it felt like he’d known the man for most of his life. He was easy to talk to, fun to be around, and filled to the brim with ideas and wants. Every time they spoke, it felt like he learned something new and for a person like Tony, that was quite the feat. Their knowledge base and experiences were vastly different – but the ability to give and take was not. Tony hung on every one of Peter’s words, simply because wanted to and he knew Peter did the same when he spoke.</p><p> </p><p>Their dates started out small, little places that wouldn’t attract much attention, despite the fact that Tony Stark was there and buying their food. It’d been a while since his divorce from Pepper, so the media attention seemed to have dulled considerably. Though there was no anonymity, Tony didn’t have to hide Peter too much. He was ready to take the necessary steps to be in a relationship, to let the world in on a little piece of him he’d been keeping to himself – he just wanted it to happen on his own terms.</p><p> </p><p>When Tony wasn’t feeling adventurous and wanted to spend quality time with Peter, they camped out in the penthouse and cooked together, or ordered from the little Thai place the younger man preferred. In the bubble of elegant simplicity, Tony flourished. It was easy to be with Peter, to function around another human that was not only a good person, but one he found himself undeniable attracted to. The happiness he felt was the pure kind – the stuff he didn’t think he’d ever allow himself.</p><p> </p><p>On the days Tony had Morgan, they went out and did some of the adventures that Peter always talked about. Morgan and Gracey were the best of friends by that point – the girls were always together whenever Peter graced them with the dog’s presence. There were many Friday evenings spent in the living room of the Stark residence with Morgan and Gracey cuddled together in the little sleeping bag, fast asleep. He always felt the best when they were all together – Peter was the perfect person to oppose his laid-back way of parenting and adored Morgan almost as much as he did.</p><p> </p><p>They jumped the Pepper hurdle one Sunday when she walked in to pick up Morgan. Tony and Peter were still sitting at the small table in the kitchen, coffee cups in their hands. The little girl barreled into the room with fresh teeth and a bow they managed to wrangle into her hair just moments earlier. “Hi, mommy,” Morgan greeted her, the little voice breaking the silence.</p><p> </p><p>Pepper leaned down and said something to Morgan, the little girl nodding and running back out of the room – the promise of Steve and his iPad more enticing than anything the group of grown-ups had to say.</p><p> </p><p>“So, you’re the Peter she’s always mentioning. It all makes sense now. No wonder you like picking her up all of the sudden, Tony,” Pepper pointed out, her hand squeezing Tony’s shoulder lightly. “Her stories are always filled with so much joy. If you’re happy, I’m happy.” She looked between them, then kept her gaze steadily on Tony. “Don’t fuck this up, Stark. He’s one of the best teachers in the city.”</p><p> </p><p>The real challenge came when a picture finally got out with Tony and Peter in a less than innocent encounter – the reality of what they were to each other so very obvious in the snap the photographer was able to get. Pepper sent it to him about an hour before it went public, her plan of action for the news and what might happen attached to the ‘Sorry it happened this way’ that started the message. It was a little gutting, seeing he felt to be so precious out in the open like that – like it was something to be picked apart and discussed. It came with the territory, though – no matter what happened in his life, everyone wanted to catch a glance at it.</p><p> </p><p>“At least they’re not trying to call you a playboy, anymore,” Peter joked when he saw him later, the man’s arms around him, his bony chin digging into Tony’s shoulder. “And it is a nice picture.”</p><p> </p><p>Tony leaned into the embrace, a soft chuckle falling from his lips. It was a nice picture – he begrudgingly had to admit it. They were walking out of Eleven Madison Park, Tony’s arm wrapped around Peter’s shoulder, Peter’s arm wrapped around Tony’s waist. Tony’s head was turned, and his lips were pressed to the mess of hair on top of Peter’s head. The smile on his face could be read as nothing other than sheer affection – even love. There wasn’t a single feeling of shame in his body – just a bit of disappointment that he didn’t get to show Peter off in his own way. The speculation about him would be whatever it was – at this point, it didn’t matter.</p><p> </p><p>Spending so many years locked away in a glass case of self-denial felt like punishment enough – he could take whatever the media had to throw his way. The Stark name held up so many things throughout the world, he doubted Tony Stark having a husband instead of a wife would change that too much. “Yeah, it is. I hope you’re ready for this. It’s going to be a circus for a little while.”</p><p> </p><p>Admitting it made the reality of it settle in, the thought of just how much things would change for them for a little while daunting – almost enough to send him back into the dark, tail between his legs. The tight squeeze he got kept him in check, Peter’s voice grounding as it surrounded him. “I think it’ll be alright. They’ll get tired of how boring we are together eventually,” Peter muttered, the words pulling a laugh out of them both.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks for being here, Peter,” Tony whispered, leaning back into the other’s embrace.</p><p> </p><p>“You couldn’t keep me away.”  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for sticking around, y'all! </p><p>I say this with most of my verses, but I've got a couple more things planned for these guys. I love getting ideas and thoughts from everyone, so make sure you comment below if you've got something you want to see! Or if you want to just chat, I'm down for that, too! </p><p>If you want to see more of my writing, head over to ohwereusingourmadeupnames on tumblr! I'm taking prompts and writing drabbles all the time. </p><p>Y'all are the best!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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